Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
HRH Medical Staff Members in conjunction with Nursing Leadership have worked to put in place a Sepsis Protocol intended to improve the care of sepsis patients at HRH.
Listen as Kevin Hartzell, MD explains the importance of preventing infections that can lead to sepsis and recognizing it as soon as possible for the best treatment outcomes.
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The Importance of Sepsis Awareness
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Learn more about Kevin Hartzell, MD
Kevin Hartzell, MD
Kevin Hartzell, MD is a Hospitalist with Hendricks Regional Health Medical Group.Learn more about Kevin Hartzell, MD
Transcription:
The Importance of Sepsis Awareness
Melanie Cole (Host): Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. Your immune system protects you from many illnesses and infections, but it’s also possible for it to go into overdrive in response to an infection. My guest today is Dr. Kevin Hartzell. He is a hospitalist with Hendricks Regional Health. Welcome to the show, Dr. Hartzell. What is sepsis?
Dr. Kevin Hartzell (Guest): You actually described it well there. Sepsis is essentially you develop an infection and then the body has an overwhelming response. It essentially takes over and it can run anywhere from fevers and fast heart rates to making you confused. At the worst of it, you can actually have a drop in your blood pressure and have organ failure. So, it’s certainly something that can make you very sick and be life threatening as well.
Melanie: Do we know what causes it?
Dr. Hartzell: It is essentially a body response to infection. Whenever we get an infection and it starts to spread through the bloodstream, you end up with certain physiological things that occur. If those get out of hand and more than the body can handle is when you start to get into trouble.
Melanie: What are some of the signs and symptoms? If somebody is in the hospital, you guys are monitoring, correct? How does sepsis begin? Could it begin if somebody is just at home and develops an infection?
Dr. Hartzell: With someone who is in the hospital, we do actually monitor them with their vital signs and look for things that would be a marker of sepsis. At home, though, obviously, you don’t get your vital signs checked every few hours like you would in a hospital, but the things you would look for would be that any type of infection can cause sepsis. So, you want to be careful, even a cut on the finger, a pneumonia, the flu, any of those. Certainly, when you get a fever, you start to think about it, but especially if you get a fever and you become confused or delirious, if you get a fever and you start to notice that your heart rate is fast, or if you have trouble breathing as well, these are all signs of things getting worse, and that’s where you would want to be seen by a doctor.
Melanie: Does it only happen with bacterial infections or viral infections as well?
Dr. Hartzell: It can happen with anything. There are certainly people who we have seen here at Hendricks that have had the flu, that have come in with sepsis as well. That’s one of the more common viral illnesses. So any type of infection can cause sepsis.
Melanie: Then, what do we do? If we if we have an infection, we’re at home, maybe we had pneumonia or some sort of the flu or even a cut and we start to get some of those symptoms you described--shortness of breath or confusion or a fever or chills--things that are not necessarily normal with what we would have anyway, what is the first thing we should be doing?
Dr. Hartzell: The first thing you do if you really feel that way is be seen by a doctor. That means if it’s after hours, you could go to the emergency room or an immediate care clinic. Unfortunately, sepsis is something that you don’t want to wait on. So, if you have a fever and you feel sick, it’s certainly something to watch yourself and be cognizant of, but if you start to get that confusion or shortness of breath, if you get a pain that just won’t go away, of if you just feel like something’s wrong and getting worse, that’s when you need to come to be evaluated. That’s not something you would want to wait on. You would want to come in within the next few hours. You wouldn’t necessarily want to wait overnight if you start to feel worse like that.
Melanie: Is it emergent? Do you 911?
Dr. Hartzell: I think if you’re short of breath and you can’t breathe, yes, you would, but if you’re just having the fever and you know that your heart rate is up and striving to get just worried about what’s going on, I think you could probably come into the hospital quicker than that. But, if you’re confused or short of breath or have severe pain that you just can’t handle, I think those are all reasons to call 911.
Melanie: I’ve heard that you should let 911, if you do call them, know that you think it might be sepsis. Is that still the case?
Dr. Hartzell: Yes, I think they would probably dispatch the same person there, but I think when you’re talking to the EMS providers that come, you’re going to want to make sure you mention infection and mention the history that you had going on. They can call ahead to the emergency room and be ready for you. It certainly changes what kinds of tests we order and how quickly we want to treat things if we know that sepsis is there.
Melanie: Can it be treated? What do you do for it?
Dr. Hartzell: The main thing to do is treat the infection, and that typically takes care of the problem. It sometimes can take some time, obviously, and it often will require being admitted to the hospital. But most of the time, I think if you’re really septic you should be in a hospital. Some of the other problems that can occur, are that, obviously, you’re worried about organ failure, kidney failure and not being able to breathe. They can progress to things where you would have to be in an ICU typesetting and possibly even be on a ventilator. There are also times when your blood pressure drops, what we call “septic shock”, and you would also have to be in an ICU for those kinds of treatments as well. They all have things we could do for them to be able to get you better, but I think the mainstay of the treatment is going to be treating the infection that you have.
Melanie: Are there any long-term effects to sepsis?
Dr. Hartzell: Not typically. I think anyone who gets very ill and has the septic shock and is in ICU, like we talked about, can have some long-term effects in terms weakness and even sometimes some mild cognizant effects that could persist for a while, maybe not thinking quite as well as they did before, but those are typically reserved to the people who are the sickest of the sick. Someone who gets an infection and has sepsis but is treated is in the hospital for a day or two typically won’t have any long-term effects.
Melanie: Is there any way to prevent sepsis? Like if you have gotten some sort of an infection or even a cut, does using some of the over-the-counter topicals, can any of those things help to prevent?
Dr. Hartzell: Yes. A cut is probably the most common thing, but if you have a cut that’s open and dirty, you’re going to want to clean that out. You’re going to want to use some antibiotic ointment to prevent infection from setting in. So, anything you could to do to help prevent infection. That then includes simple things like trying to avoid colds, use hand sanitizer, wash your hands whenever you’re in contact with people who are sick is always helpful as well. Once the infection has set in, it’s really more of an awareness type thing where you would want to make sure that you’re looking out for these signs that you’re getting worse in terms of higher fevers, feeling worse, having more pain, and being aware of those as markers when you would want to get evaluated.
Melanie: What about vaccinations, Dr. Hartzell? Are there any vaccinations that you want to make sure that people get that might possibly help us to avoid this?
Dr. Hartzell: That is a good point, thank you. Your yearly flu vaccine is a great one. There is also the pneumonias vaccine. I treat adults. So, those are the ones that I’m more aware of. Obviously, for children there are more vaccines as well but the pneumonia and the flu vaccines are the big ones that we want to make sure that people talk to their health care provider about getting.
Melanie: So, then, wrap it up for us. Give us your best advice on sepsis and this emergent situation--what you want people to know.
Dr. Hartzell: The main thing about sepsis is that it is something that people don’t know a lot about. We see it in the hospital a lot. It’s very common. So, we want to get education out there so that people know that sepsis exists, know that it can be life-threatening, and really know to look out for signs of getting worse when you have an infection so that you come in and be evaluated. The earlier you catch it, the more we can do for you and the better you’re likely to do. So, the quicker we start treatment for sepsis, the better you do. It’s good to know about it, knows that it exists and be aware about it. And then, also those preventative things. Make sure you get your flu vaccine, your pneumonia vaccine, and make sure that anytime you get a cut or anything that you keep it cleaned and try to avoid getting infections in the first place.
Melanie: Thank you so much for being with us. It’s really important information for listeners to hear. You’re listening to Health Talks with HRH, Hendricks Regional Health. For information, you can go to www.Hendricks.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
The Importance of Sepsis Awareness
Melanie Cole (Host): Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. Your immune system protects you from many illnesses and infections, but it’s also possible for it to go into overdrive in response to an infection. My guest today is Dr. Kevin Hartzell. He is a hospitalist with Hendricks Regional Health. Welcome to the show, Dr. Hartzell. What is sepsis?
Dr. Kevin Hartzell (Guest): You actually described it well there. Sepsis is essentially you develop an infection and then the body has an overwhelming response. It essentially takes over and it can run anywhere from fevers and fast heart rates to making you confused. At the worst of it, you can actually have a drop in your blood pressure and have organ failure. So, it’s certainly something that can make you very sick and be life threatening as well.
Melanie: Do we know what causes it?
Dr. Hartzell: It is essentially a body response to infection. Whenever we get an infection and it starts to spread through the bloodstream, you end up with certain physiological things that occur. If those get out of hand and more than the body can handle is when you start to get into trouble.
Melanie: What are some of the signs and symptoms? If somebody is in the hospital, you guys are monitoring, correct? How does sepsis begin? Could it begin if somebody is just at home and develops an infection?
Dr. Hartzell: With someone who is in the hospital, we do actually monitor them with their vital signs and look for things that would be a marker of sepsis. At home, though, obviously, you don’t get your vital signs checked every few hours like you would in a hospital, but the things you would look for would be that any type of infection can cause sepsis. So, you want to be careful, even a cut on the finger, a pneumonia, the flu, any of those. Certainly, when you get a fever, you start to think about it, but especially if you get a fever and you become confused or delirious, if you get a fever and you start to notice that your heart rate is fast, or if you have trouble breathing as well, these are all signs of things getting worse, and that’s where you would want to be seen by a doctor.
Melanie: Does it only happen with bacterial infections or viral infections as well?
Dr. Hartzell: It can happen with anything. There are certainly people who we have seen here at Hendricks that have had the flu, that have come in with sepsis as well. That’s one of the more common viral illnesses. So any type of infection can cause sepsis.
Melanie: Then, what do we do? If we if we have an infection, we’re at home, maybe we had pneumonia or some sort of the flu or even a cut and we start to get some of those symptoms you described--shortness of breath or confusion or a fever or chills--things that are not necessarily normal with what we would have anyway, what is the first thing we should be doing?
Dr. Hartzell: The first thing you do if you really feel that way is be seen by a doctor. That means if it’s after hours, you could go to the emergency room or an immediate care clinic. Unfortunately, sepsis is something that you don’t want to wait on. So, if you have a fever and you feel sick, it’s certainly something to watch yourself and be cognizant of, but if you start to get that confusion or shortness of breath, if you get a pain that just won’t go away, of if you just feel like something’s wrong and getting worse, that’s when you need to come to be evaluated. That’s not something you would want to wait on. You would want to come in within the next few hours. You wouldn’t necessarily want to wait overnight if you start to feel worse like that.
Melanie: Is it emergent? Do you 911?
Dr. Hartzell: I think if you’re short of breath and you can’t breathe, yes, you would, but if you’re just having the fever and you know that your heart rate is up and striving to get just worried about what’s going on, I think you could probably come into the hospital quicker than that. But, if you’re confused or short of breath or have severe pain that you just can’t handle, I think those are all reasons to call 911.
Melanie: I’ve heard that you should let 911, if you do call them, know that you think it might be sepsis. Is that still the case?
Dr. Hartzell: Yes, I think they would probably dispatch the same person there, but I think when you’re talking to the EMS providers that come, you’re going to want to make sure you mention infection and mention the history that you had going on. They can call ahead to the emergency room and be ready for you. It certainly changes what kinds of tests we order and how quickly we want to treat things if we know that sepsis is there.
Melanie: Can it be treated? What do you do for it?
Dr. Hartzell: The main thing to do is treat the infection, and that typically takes care of the problem. It sometimes can take some time, obviously, and it often will require being admitted to the hospital. But most of the time, I think if you’re really septic you should be in a hospital. Some of the other problems that can occur, are that, obviously, you’re worried about organ failure, kidney failure and not being able to breathe. They can progress to things where you would have to be in an ICU typesetting and possibly even be on a ventilator. There are also times when your blood pressure drops, what we call “septic shock”, and you would also have to be in an ICU for those kinds of treatments as well. They all have things we could do for them to be able to get you better, but I think the mainstay of the treatment is going to be treating the infection that you have.
Melanie: Are there any long-term effects to sepsis?
Dr. Hartzell: Not typically. I think anyone who gets very ill and has the septic shock and is in ICU, like we talked about, can have some long-term effects in terms weakness and even sometimes some mild cognizant effects that could persist for a while, maybe not thinking quite as well as they did before, but those are typically reserved to the people who are the sickest of the sick. Someone who gets an infection and has sepsis but is treated is in the hospital for a day or two typically won’t have any long-term effects.
Melanie: Is there any way to prevent sepsis? Like if you have gotten some sort of an infection or even a cut, does using some of the over-the-counter topicals, can any of those things help to prevent?
Dr. Hartzell: Yes. A cut is probably the most common thing, but if you have a cut that’s open and dirty, you’re going to want to clean that out. You’re going to want to use some antibiotic ointment to prevent infection from setting in. So, anything you could to do to help prevent infection. That then includes simple things like trying to avoid colds, use hand sanitizer, wash your hands whenever you’re in contact with people who are sick is always helpful as well. Once the infection has set in, it’s really more of an awareness type thing where you would want to make sure that you’re looking out for these signs that you’re getting worse in terms of higher fevers, feeling worse, having more pain, and being aware of those as markers when you would want to get evaluated.
Melanie: What about vaccinations, Dr. Hartzell? Are there any vaccinations that you want to make sure that people get that might possibly help us to avoid this?
Dr. Hartzell: That is a good point, thank you. Your yearly flu vaccine is a great one. There is also the pneumonias vaccine. I treat adults. So, those are the ones that I’m more aware of. Obviously, for children there are more vaccines as well but the pneumonia and the flu vaccines are the big ones that we want to make sure that people talk to their health care provider about getting.
Melanie: So, then, wrap it up for us. Give us your best advice on sepsis and this emergent situation--what you want people to know.
Dr. Hartzell: The main thing about sepsis is that it is something that people don’t know a lot about. We see it in the hospital a lot. It’s very common. So, we want to get education out there so that people know that sepsis exists, know that it can be life-threatening, and really know to look out for signs of getting worse when you have an infection so that you come in and be evaluated. The earlier you catch it, the more we can do for you and the better you’re likely to do. So, the quicker we start treatment for sepsis, the better you do. It’s good to know about it, knows that it exists and be aware about it. And then, also those preventative things. Make sure you get your flu vaccine, your pneumonia vaccine, and make sure that anytime you get a cut or anything that you keep it cleaned and try to avoid getting infections in the first place.
Melanie: Thank you so much for being with us. It’s really important information for listeners to hear. You’re listening to Health Talks with HRH, Hendricks Regional Health. For information, you can go to www.Hendricks.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.